MILLIONAIRE RECORD BOSS RICHARD BRANSON’S COMPANY

MILLIONAIRE RECORD BOSS RICHARD BRANSON’S COMPANY WAS GIVEN

TWO WEEKS TO PAY A #100 FINE TODAY (MON).

THE COMPANY, VIRGIN VIDEO LIMITED, LANDED IN HOT WATER OVER

THE BEST SELLING CHILDRENS’ VIDEO ”RUPERT BEAR AND THE FROG

CHORUS”.

THE PAUL MCCARTNEY CARTOON, WHICH HAS SOLD OVER 200,000

COPIES, LED TO A COURT HEARING UNDER THE TRADE DISCRIPTION ACT.

AND AT REDBRIDGE MAGISTRATES COURT VIRGIN VIDEO, OF

LADBROOKE GROVE, NOTTING HILL, WEST LONDON, ADMITTED THEY HAD MADE AN

ERROR OVER THE MARKETING OF THE FILM.

BRANSON’S COMPANY, WHICH HAS JUST BEEN MADE PUBLIC, WAS

SUMMONSED FOR THREE OFFENCES – THAT THEY:

+ ADVERTISED THE VIDEO IN A NATIONAL NEWSPAPER AS A RUPERT

BEAR CARTOON WHEN IT INCLUDED TWO OTHER CARTOONS BY LINDA MCCARTNEY

– ONE INCLUDING A SCENE FEATURING A NAKED WOMAN.

+ CLAIMED THE VIDEO HAD A RUNNING TIME OF 26 MINUTES WHEN

IN FACT IT WAS ONLY 22 MINUTES AND 50 SECONDS LONG.

+ AND MARKETED THE FILM AS A ”U” CERTIFICATE AND SUITABLE

FOR FAMILY VIEWING BEFORE IT WAS CERTIFIED BY THE BRITISH BOARD OF

FILM CLASSIFICATION.

VIRGIN WERE GIVEN AN ABSOLUTE DISCHARGE FOR THE NEWSPAPER

ADVERT OFFENCE, FINED #25 FOR THE FALSE DESCRIPTION OVER RUNNING TIME

AND #75 FOR FALSELY DESCRIBING THE FILM AS A ”U” CLASSIFICATION.

THE COMPANY, WHO WERE ALSO ORDERED TO PAY #325.

49 COSTS,

WERE GIVEN A FORMAL TWO WEEKS TO PAY THE PENALTY.

VIRGIN WERE GIVEN TIME TO PAY THE FINE AFTER COUNSEL FOR

VIRGIN, MR ANTHONY CHINN, ASKED THE COURT IF THEY COULD SEND A

CHEQUE.

MR CHARLES CONLIN, FOR REBRIDGE BOROUGH COUNCIL, WHO

BROUGHT THE COMPLAINT, SAID THE COMPANY ADMITTED THEIR PART AND

THE FILM HAD IN FACT SINCE BEEN CLASSED AS A ”U” CERTIFICATE.

HE SAID THE NEWSPAPER ADVERT FAILED TO STATE THE RUPERT

BEAR PART OF THE FILM WAS ONLY 13 MINUTES LONG – BUT THE VIDEOS COVER

MADE IT CLEAR IT INCLUDED ”WORKS BY BOTH PAUL AND LINDA MCCARTNEY.

”

THE ADVERT (IN THE DAILY EXPRESS) ON DECEMBER 8 LAST YEAR

ACCOMPANIED A RUPERT BEAR CARTOON.

THE ADVERT, READ OUT IN OPEN COURT, SAID: ”IT WAS THE

FIRST DAY OF THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY AND RUPERT PUT ON HIS SCARF AND

WENT TO PODGEY PIG’S SHOP TO BUY A VIDEO.

”WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE?” ‘ASKED PODGEY.

‘ ”RUPERT AND THE

FROGS CHORUS” ‘SAID RUPERT GLEEFULLY.

‘ ”IT’S GOT SINGING, DANCING

AND JUMPING FROGS.

”LIKE HIS CHUMS FERDY FOX AND BILL BADGER, YOU TOO CAN

HAVE A RUPERT VIDEO FOR UNDER 10 NUTWOOD POUNDS.

”

MR CONLIN ASKED FOR COSTS AND JOKINGLY ASKED TO BE PAID IN

POUNDS STIRLING RATHER THAN POUNDS NUTWOOD.

MR ANTHONY CHINN, FOR VIRGIN, SAID VIRGIN ADMITTED THE

OFFENCES AND APPOLOGISED FOR THEIR ERRORS.

”THERE WERE MISTAKES

RATHER THAN ANYTHING DELIBERATE.

”

ENDS